Alternative Universes

These are the results of the alternate universe designs by skeptics. You will
find that the answers form a rather diverse spectrum of possible gods and
universes. All suffer from one or more unacceptable attributes.

If I were God my universe would have the following features: The
creatures I create would obviously be less powerful than myself. I would
grant them free will but would also create them in such away that they
would always make morally good choices. This is not a contradiction.
Freedom can be understood in two senses: 1) libertarian or contra causal
freedom (causal factors do not determine or influence the decision in a
significant way), or 2) compatibalistic freedom which states that freedom
is compatible with pre-determining factors which decisively incline the
will in one direction or another. I would opt for the second type of
freedom. I could thus make these beings perfectly good and orchestrate the
world in such a way that they always necessarily choose the good but still
act freely. J.L. Mackie uses this argument against the free will defence
to the problem of evil. To assert that compatibalism is not genuine
freedom is to beg the question in favour of the libertarian view.
Compatibalism is at least possible and therefore God could have actualized
it. If I were G These suggestions would at least avoid moral evil. As for
natural evil, I can only speculate how to resolve that problem. However,
even within the present laws of physics I can think of ways that God could
prevent a lot of suffering arising from natural disasters. In my universe,
I would give my creatures vast intellects that would enable them to
accurately predict natural disasters and avoid them. I could also make my
creatures less vulnerable to pain and immune from disease. These are but a
few ways suffering could be drastically reduced and it is within the power
of God to create such conditions.

P.S. I am a Christian, but I have yet to see a theodicy that succeeds
in answering such philosophical problems. It is my opinion that all such
attempts to explain why God allows so much apparently gratuitous evil
ultimately fail. God's reasons for creating this particular world will, it
seems, remain hidden.

Religious Beliefs: Christian

I found Dan's answer interesting, but not
defined enough to evaluate completely. I disagree that allowing the
creatures to only do "morally good choices" is any kind of
freedom at all. How could a moral being be programmed to make only
"good" choices? It sounds as if Dan's god would be completely
controlling all individuals. Another problem is his definition of
"morally good." The God of the Bible does not want just
"morally good" choices, but wants us to be morally perfect. In
order to be morally perfect, you must select the exact will of God in
every circumstance. Would Dan's beings always do the exact will of God? If
so, I would propose that those beings were completely programmed robots
and have no free will. If not, it would seem that they would have rebelled
against the will of God, which is, by definition, sin.

What Dan has described in your new universe design is, in fact, the
nature of human beings in heaven. We will be prevented from sinning and,
therefore, will always make morally good choices. The difference is that
we now (in this universe) have the complete free will to make the moral
choice to follow or reject God. Dan's beings would have NO freedom to
follow or reject God, but would be forced to follow God. Is this really
free will?

Well, ok.
As for the power of my beings I would make them less powerful than me for
obvious reasons.

As for there free will, I would allow them total free will within the laws
of physics and such applied to this universe.

I would not prevent them from harming each other or the other creation,
and how would they be able to harm me, I would not be present in the
dimensions in which they lived.

And as for what I would do to those who broke my rules, I have to replay
"what rules?" and you cannot say that they would then do things
without fear of punishment for they undoubtable as intelligent beings come
up with some form of morale, as did we as a species, for you cannot say we
have the morals we do because god gave them to us, because civilizations
with out our bible and our god came up with morals and such of there own,
even if they differed or appeared crude by our standards, take the Romans,
with public killings, and the Mayans, and Aztecs, both had there own set
of rules, and what was right and wrong, so the inhabitants of my universe
would come up with rules of there own, and punish those who broke them in
there own way, whether or not there thoughts were the same as mine would
not make a difference.

please look over my ideal universe, and reply with your criticism, but
please keep in mind, I did not think about this as heavily as I would wish
to.

Religious Beliefs: Agnostic

Anonymous has made a god who does not care
about his creation or the people he has created. This is the uninvolved
god who creates the universe and steps back to allow his creatures to do
whatever they want and make their own rules.

This is not a loving god, since he lets the creatures do whatever they
want. I can't imagine what this world would be like. Given the track
record of nations who turned their back on God (Germany under Hitler,
Russia under Stalin, Cambodia under Pol
Pot, China under Mao Tse-tung),
killing over 100 million people, I would dread living in a world that is
not restrained to some extent by the presence of the Holy Spirit of God.

Numerous books tell of the moral state of tribal peoples who know
nothing about God. These groups are in constant warfare and often practice
morally detestable things such as cannibalism and human sacrifice.

I would create beings of less power than me, Mainly because I want to
be worshiped and want to feel powerful. (seems selfish but that is exactly
what god is doing for his own ego). I would allow my beings to have
unlimited free will, such as they can choose to not go through the battle
and the hardships of life at all. Of course they can't hurt me because I
am god, but they can hurt each other (with free will you are going to
encounter that). The thing that would make me or any of many millions of
people a great god is that I wouldn't leave doubt that I exist! I would
talk personally with all my subjects and tell them all the wishes I have
for them and there life. I would have contact with them all just
like god had with adam! I would not hide behind "in my own time I
will heal you." I would either heal them, or tell them that it isn't
my will! The punishment for people who break my rules is that you would
die and not exist anymore! (surely since I am god I can do whatever I
want) God isn't bad.

Religious Beliefs: Other

Eric must be commended for his understanding of
the problem of free will and the presence of evil. However, there are some
problems in this universe. The god of this universe would walk with his
subjects and personally talk with them, as God did with Adam. Unlike our
God, however, this god would exterminate anybody who broke his rules.
Indeed, it would be a very sparsely populated universe! Applying these
rules to our universe would have resulted in the ending of the human race
at the first couple. The idea that there would be no grace for those who
broke the rules does not seem good to me!

I would create something out of My free will as God, something beyond
what can be comprehended by you humans, something arbitrary. The
result might or might not be the same as the existing world as you now
know it. I would impose no "rules", and would let the
"rules" develop as nature unfolds its course. I am God, I am all
Powerful and all Free (seen from human perspective), bound by nothing.
I would leave you humans to judge what is good and what is bad. My
way is the God Way, I don't have to follow rules, "good" or
"bad" means nothing to Me. Actually, that's the world it turned
out to be, you are now in it.

Religious Beliefs: Not stated

Albert appears
to believe either that there is no God or that God just creates universes
and does not get involved following their creation. The idea that the God
who created the universe would "impose no rules" does not fit
with the available data on the nature of the Creator God and His
preference for rules. In fact, the universe follows rules (the physical
laws) to the extreme. The rules are so precise that we can calculate the
alignment of planets millions of years into the past and the formation of
the universe 13.8 billion years in the past. Albert seems to believe that a
God who values physical rules to this degree would have a complete
disregard for moral laws. These don't seem to be the same God to me!

Ok, I'd make the beings less powerful
than me.
Give them total free will.
Make it impossible for them to hurt each other or to destroy anything
(although they can change things around, leaving the original
characteristics intact).
It would not be possible to break rules in my universe.

Religious Beliefs: Agnostic

It is good that the creatures would be less
powerful than the creator. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to
enforce any rules.

Although Smoke Some Grass says that the
creatures will have "total free will", they will be prevented
from breaking any rules or hurting each other. How much free will do they
really have? None! They are forced to submit to Smoke Some Grass, whatever
his rules are.